Money order imprinter

Abstract

An imprinting apparatus for imprinting checks, money orders and like negotiable instruments includes adjustable type segment members having type characters thereon for printing the dollar and cents amount of the money order in conventional arabic characters and in characters which are readable by an optical character recognition device, the apparatus including two platen assemblies operated by a common operating lever to simultaneously imprint the money order with both conventional arabic and optical character readable information, one of the platen assemblies being operable to effect impact movement of an associated platen in imprinting the form. The apparatus employs a replaceable inked ribbon cartridge including a ribbon bearing a dye-based ink which permeates the money order from front to back as a deterrent to alteration of a dollar amount imprinted thereon.

We claim: 
     
       1. In an imprinting apparatus for imprinting money orders and like instruments, the combination comprising: a frame,   a plurality of type segment members supported by said frame and at least certain ones of said type segment members each having first and second sets of printing characters, said type segment members being movable to locate printing characters of said first and second sets on first and second printing lines, respectively,   an inked ribbon and ribbon support means for supporting said ribbon adjacent to printing characters disposed on the first and second printing lines,   platen means supported by said frame and including a first platen adapted for cooperation with printing characters of said first set and a second platen adapted for cooperation with printing characters of said second set,   actuating means supported by said frame and including an operating lever having a normal non-printing position and being movable to a printing position for effecting a printing operation,   means coupled to said operating lever for moving said first and second platens into pressure contact with an instrument disposed between said platen means and printing characters disposed on the printing lines, said means for moving including   a first mechanism coupled to said first platen for moving same into pressure contact with the instrument and printing characters on the first printing line,   and a second mechanism coupled to said second platen and operable independently of said first mechanism to effect impact movement of said second platen into pressure contact with the instrument and printing characters on the second printing line   and said means for moving said first and second platens being adapted to return said first and second platens to their normal position in the return movement of said operating lever to its normal position.   
     
     
       2. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second mechanism includes potential energy creating means which stores energy in response to movement of said operating lever from its normal to its printing position and control lever means for releasing the energy stored by said potential energy creating means to said second platen for effecting impact movement of said second platen into pressure contact with the instrument and printing characters on the second printing line. 
     
     
       3. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said potential energy creating means comprises spring means including at least one spring. 
     
     
       4. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said spring is compressed to store energy in response to movement of said operating lever to its printing position. 
     
     
       5. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said second mechanism includes a support frame with said second platen carried thereby and lever means interposed between said spring means and said support frame, said frame defining a guide path for said lever means for causing compression of said spring as said operating lever is moved to its printing position and for releasing said spring, permitting impacting movement of said second platen when said operating lever reaches its printing position. 
     
     
       6. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second printing lines are disposed on different parallel axis. 
     
     
       7. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein at least one of said type segment members comprises a support member, and type character means on said support member and having a printing face with a first set of type characters spaced therealong and a second set of type characters interposed between characters of said first set, said first set of type characters including arabic numerals and said second set of type characters including numerals in a format readable by optical character recognition apparatus. 
     
     
       8. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said type character means includes laterally projecting segments adjacent to said type characters in said first set and including indicia to be imprinted on the instrument. 
     
     
       9. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said type characters in said first set are grouped in pairs and different pairs of type characters in said second set are interposed between different pairs of type characters in said first set. 
     
     
       10. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said inked ribbon support means comprises a cartridge. 
     
     
       11. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said cartridge includes a housing having an upper housing member and a lower housing member constructed and arranged to be assembled together, said upper and lower housing members when assembled together defining a spool receiving chamber, a ribbon guide portion and a throat portion communicating said chamber with said ribbon guide portion, said lower housing member having first and second windows therethrough in the ribbon guide portion thereof. 
     
     
       12. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said inked ribbon includes a first portion aligned with said first window and bearing a pigment-based ink, and a second portion adjacent to said first portion and aligned with said second window and bearing a dye-based ink. 
     
     
       13. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said inked ribbon includes means to substantially prevent migration of said dye-based ink from said second to said first portion of said ribbon. 
     
     
       14. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 12, including a heat sealed seam formed longitudinally of said ribbon separating said first and second portions thereof to prevent migration of said dye-based ink from said second to said first portion of said ribbon. 
     
     
       15. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said cartridge locates said ribbon within the apparatus with said dye based ink located along portions of the first print lines to imprint characters indicating dollar amounts onto the instrument. 
     
     
       16. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 12, which includes cartridge guide means carried by said frame for supporting said cartridge within the apparatus and including first and second guide rails for guiding said cartridge into position relative to the printing lines during insertion and removal of said cartridge from the apparatus. 
     
     
       17. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 16 including ribbon drive means for advancing the ribbon through the apparatus and including ribbon reverse means for periodically reversing the direction of ribbon advance. 
     
     
       18. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said second mechanism includes means for effecting impact movement of said second platen into contact with the instrument prior to said first platen being moved into contact with the instrument and wherein said actuating means includes means for preventing return of said operating lever to its non-printing position until after said first platen has been moved into pressure contact with the instrument. 
     
     
       19. In an imprinting apparatus for imprinting money orders and like instruments, the combination comprising: a frame,   a plurality of type segment members supported by said frame and at least certain ones of said type segment members having first and second sets of printing characters, said type segment members being movable to locate printing characters of said first and second sets on first and second printing lines, respectively,   an inked ribbon and ribbon support means supporting said ribbon adjacent to printing characters disposed on said first and second printing lines,   platen means supported by said frame and including a first platen adapted for cooperation with printing characters of said first set and a second platen adapted for cooperation with printing characters of said second set,   actuating means supported by said frame and including an operating lever having a normal non-printing position and being movable to a printing position for effecting a printing operation,   means coupled to said operating lever for moving said first and second platens into pressure contact with an instrument disposed between said platen means and printing characters disposed on the printing lines including   first support means carrying said first platen,   a first linkage means coupling said first support means to said operating lever,   second support means carrying said second platen,   a second linkage means coupling said second support means to said operating lever,   and potential energy creating means connected to said second support means to effect impact movement of said second platen into pressure contact with the instrument and printing characters on the second printing line prior to said first platen being moved into pressure contact with the instrument and printing characters on first printing line.   
     
     
       20. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said potential energy creating means includes spring means connected between said second support means and said frame and compressed to store energy in response to movement of said operating lever from its normal to its printing position, the energy stored by said spring means being transferred to said second support means to effect impact movement of said second platen into pressure contact with the instrument and printing characters on the second printing line when said operating lever reaches its printing position. 
     
     
       21. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 19, wherein at least one of said type segment members comprises a support member, character type means carried by said support member and having a printing face with a first set of type characters spaced therealong and a second set of type characters interposed between characters of said first set, said first set of type characters including arabic numerals and said second set of type characters including numerals in a format readable by optical character recognition apparatus. 
     
     
       22. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said type characters of said first set are grouped in pairs and different pairs of type characters in optical character recognition format are interposed between each pair of type characters of said second set. 
     
     
       23. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 21 including a further group of type segment members having printing characters positionable on said second printing line, the characters of said first and second sets being used to print on the instrument the dollar amount for which the instrument is drawn, and characters of said further group of type segment members being used to print other information on the instrument. 
     
     
       24. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 19, wherein at least one of said type segment members comprises a circular support member, an arcuate type bar secured to an edge of said support member and having a printing face with a first set of type characters spaced therealong and a second set of type characters interposed between characters of said first set, said first set of type characters including arabic numerals and said second set of type characters including numerals in a format readable by optical character recognition apparatus. 
     
     
       25. In an imprinting apparatus for imprinting money orders and like instruments, the combination comprising: a frame,   a plurality of type segment members supported by said frame and at least certain ones of said type segment members each having first and second sets of printing characters, said type segment members being movable to locate printing characters of said first and second sets on first and second printing lines, respectively,   an inked ribbon and ribbon support means for supporting said ribbon adjacent to printing characters disposed on the first and second printing lines,   platen means supported by said frame and including a first platen adapted for cooperation with printing characters of said first set and a second platen adapted for cooperation with printing characters of said second set,   actuating means supported by said frame and including an operating lever having a normal non-printing position and being movable to a printing position for effecting a printing operation,   a form disposed between said platen means and said type segment members,   means coupled to said operating lever for moving said first and second platens into pressure contact with said form disposed between said platen means and printing characters disposed on the printing lines, said means for moving including   a first mechanism coupled to said first platen for moving same into pressure contact with said form and printing characters on the first printing line,   and a second mechanism coupled to said second platen and operable independently of said first mechanism to effect impact movement of said second platen into pressure contact with said form and printing characters on the second printing line   and said means for moving said first and second platens being adapted to return said first and second platens to their normal position in the return movement of said operating lever to its normal position.   
     
     
       26. An imprinting apparatus according to claim 25 wherein said form includes at least one sheet of an absorbing type paper material for absorbing dye based ink whereby when the form is impacted by a printing mechanism of the imprinting apparatus, the ink permeates through the sheet from its front to back. 
     
     
       27. An imprinting apparatus in accordance with claim 25 wherein said form defines at least first and second amount fields including a checkwriter amount field for receiving indicia in a conventional checkwriting format and a second amount field for receiving indicia in a format which is recognizable by an optical character recognition apparatus. 
     
     
       28. An imprinting apparatus in accordance with claim 27 wherein the portions of said sheet bearing said first and second amount fields are of different colors. 
     
     
       29. An imprinting apparatus in accordance with claim 28 wherein said form defines at least first and second amount fields including a checkwriter amount field for receiving indicia in a conventional checkwriting format and a second amount field for receiving indicia in a format which is recognizable by an optical character recognition apparatus. 
     
     
       30. An imprinting apparatus in accordance with claim 25 wherein said form comprises a plurality of sheets including an upper sheet, a bottom sheet, and at least one intermediate sheet bound together along one edge thereof, duplicating means interposed between adjacent sheets of the form for duplicating on the lower and intermediate sheets an image imprinted on the upper sheet, and at least the upper sheet being made of an absorbing type paper material for absorbing dye based ink, whereby when the form is impacted by a printing mechanism of the imprinting apparatus, the ink permeates through the upper sheet from front to back.